Morning journal and courier., 1887-11-29

The Fighting ParSOn to be Installed
AS ChaPlaIn.In-Chfef of the G. a. 70.
To-Day.
NoRwALK, Nov. 2S.-To-morrow Tuesday
will be red letter day in the history of
Norwalk, for Rev. Edward Anderson, pastor
of the First Congregational church, is to be
installed as chaplain -in-chief of the Grand
Army of the Republic of the United States.
The fighting parson, as his parishioners love
to call him, is a well preserved man of so,
and his life has been full of adventure. At
the breaking out of the war he went to the
front as chaplain of an Illinois regiment of
volunteers, but it was soon discovered that
he could fight the Confederates just as sue
cessfully as he could combat the devil, and
little more SO, and he was made colonel.
At various times during the war he was a
prisoner under sentence of death, convicted
spy, and the Lord only knows what else; but
he lived through it all and is now one of the
most popular men in this part of the Nut
meg State. It is related of him that once,
while colonel of a regiment, he found
himself the guardian of half dozen
Confederate prisoners. An order came for
the regiment to move and move quickly, and
it was impossible to transport the captors.
The colonel got around it by ordering the
prisoners shot, and his orders were obeyed.
Colonel Anderson was hau1ed over the Goals
for his action in this case, but with his usu-
al good luck escaped punishment and re-
tanned his command.
The exercises on Tuesday are to be man
aged by Buckingham post, G. A. R., and
will take place in the new armory that the
State of Connecticut has Just completed here
at cost of about $50, 900. Governor Louns-
bury and his staff, the department officers of
the e. A. R., the officers of the Loyal Le-
gion, the post commanders of Connecticut
and the Grand Army posts of Fairfield coun-
ty are to be present, and the local companies
of the Connecticut National Guard will also
take part in the parade; also Admiral Foote
post of New Haven, who will be accompa-
MED by the Second Regiment band. Mayor
Morgan G. Buckley, of Hartford, will prob
ably be the installing officer, and all the big
guns will make speeches. 1t was expected
that General Sherman, General Sheridan,
General Schofeld and other famous soldiers
would be present, but regrets have been re-
ceived from nearly all of them General
Sherman told the chaplain-elect that he
would like to come, but he knew just how 1t
would be. A mob of curious ones would be
at his heels all day, the bands would play
that old chestnut, ''Marching Through Geor-
gia,'' and he did not feel equal to the eTner-
gency. 1t is likely that the old veteran is
laboring under the mistaken idea that there
are no pretty girls in Norwalk, and that
therefore the exercises would fail to interest
him If the superstition is correct the general
has been tempered with by jealous outsiders,
for Norwalk has more pretty girls to the
square inch than any other town in Connec-
ticut, and they are just dying to meet the
hero of the famous march to the sea.
After the installation exercises and the
speech making the visitors are to BE- banquet
ed, and later the Fourth regiment band is to
give concert in the new armory.